Report Sections II

(Report Body and

Lists)
Recap: Report Sections

Abstract

Introduction Material

and Methods

Results and
Discussion

Conclusion
Inside Out
?
Writing Order

Material and Methods

Results and Discussion

Conclusion Introduction

Abstract
 Technical
Report

Front Matter Report Body Back Matter

Title Page Introduction References

Abstract Background Appendices

Table of Results
Contents Conclusion

List of Figures
/ Tables
 Title Page
• Report title.
• Who the report was prepared for.
• Who the report was prepared by.
• Date of submission.
 Table of Contents
• They show:
♦ What topics are covered in the report.
♦ How those topics are discussed.
♦ On which page numbers the sections and
subsections start.
• Use indentation for a clear view.

e.g.
 Page Numbering
• Title Page (not numbered)
• Abstract
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures Lower case roman numerals
• List of Tables
• List of Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion Arabic Numbers

• References
 Section Numbering
Decimal system
 Section Numbering
Alphanumeric system
 Headings / Sub-Headings
1. Should be specific, self-explanatory, and precise.
Introduction to Windows Vista X Introduction

2.Ensure that the heading fits in a single line

3.Every word in the heading should

be in proper case.
Guidelines for Technical Documentation X
Guidelines for technical documentation
 Headings / Sub-Headings Cont.
4. Avoid articles in headings.
Introduction to Windows Vista
X An Introduction to Windows Vista

5. Avoid special characters in headings.

White Papers
X What are White Papers?

6. Keep the heading levels to a maximum of three.

X 1 Introduction to Windows Vista
1.1 ………..
1.1.1 …………….
1.1.1.1 ………………
 List of Figures and Tables
• Readers use them to find the
illustrations, diagrams, tables, and
charts in your report.
•For longer reports, create separate
lists of figures and tables.

e.g.
 Technical
Report

Front Matter Report Body Back Matter

Title Page Introduction References

Abstract Background Appendices

Table of Results
Contents Conclusion

List of Figures
/ Tables
 Synthesis grid
Grouping your Information
Grouping your Information
Mind Map
Grouping your Information
Mind Map
Grouping your Information
Concept Map
 Paragraph Guidelines
• Unity
♦ The entire paragraph should concern
itself with a single focus.
• Coherence
♦ The same idea of a topic is carried over from
sentence to sentence.
♦ Successive sentences can be constructed in
parallel form (same tense).
♦ Transition wordscan be used to
link ideas from different sentences.
 Paragraph Structure
1. Topic Sentence
♦ Introduce and clearly state the main idea.
♦ Preview for the reader the kinds of
information that the rest of the paragraph
is likely to contain.
♦ To link back to the immediately
preceding argument.
 Paragraph Structure Cont.
2. Development Sentence(s)
♦ Elaborate the new idea or point that you
have introduced.
3. Concluding Sentence
♦ Round off what you have said
so far in your paragraph
♦ Link the current paragraph to
the next paragraph
 Long Paragraphs
Does everything in my paragraph relate to the
same idea?
If Not:
♦Subdivide the paragraph by identifying more than one
idea.
♦Re-paragraph around each identified idea.
If so:
♦look for ways of subdividing the information into
shorter paragraphs.
♦Rewrite the information to a certain extent to make
sure that your new paragraphs link well to each other.
 Guidelines
• Numbered in separate series (e.g., Table 1,
Table 2, Figure 1, Table 3, Figure 2).
• Informatively titled.
• Properly formatted, with the title
for tables
above and that for figures below
• Referred to and discussed in the body of the
report.
• Place them immediately after first mention.
• Accompanied by a source
citation, if the information was borrowed
or adapted.
• All units should be clearly indicated.
 Referring to Tables
• Table 1 lists the project benefits for the various
stakeholders: company, clients, and suppliers.
• Improving the planning process has several
advantages to both the company and its
customers (Table 1).
• As shown in Table 1, implementation of the
proposed process improvements will benefit not
only the firm but also its clients.
• As shown in Table 1, on the following page,
implementation of the proposed process
improvements will benefit not only the company
but also its customers.
 Referring to Figures
• Figure 3 depicts the company’s
current recycling waste stream.
• With only minor design changes, the
efficiency of the pumping mechanism
can be significantly improved (Fig. 4).
• As shown in Fig. 5 below, the
proposed design changes will increase
product efficiency and decrease
manufacturing costs.
 Reporting Results
Don’t
2.1 Extent of Knowledge of CPR

Yes
NO

Fig. 2 Percentage of respondents who know how to

do CPR
 Reporting Results
Do 2.1 Extent of Knowledge of CPR
As can be seen from Figure 2,
only 21% of the respondents
reported knowing how to administer CPR.

Yes
NO

Fig. 2 Percentage of respondents who know how to do CPR

This is a surprising finding considering the many
opportunities offered to the public to learn emergency
procedures. This finding may also be deemed worrying
given that government efforts to train the public to be
ready for emergencies are central to the concept of total
defense.
 Equations
• Centre the equation on the page
• Place the equation number in round
brackets at the right-hand margin
• In the text of your report, refer to the
equations as either Eq. (1) or equation
(1).
• If this is a very long report (containing
multiple chapters) number equations as
chapter#.Equation#.
Dpc = α Dup + β Duc (1)
 Styles
• Use clear typefaces, such as Times
New Roman or Arial.
• Avoid using more than one typeface in
a document.
• Use bold section headings for
emphasis.
• Use white space to enhance
your information.
 When to Use Tables
• To show many and precise numerical
values in a small space.
Min. Support 0.01% 0.015% 0.02% 0.025% Average
All Patterns
19.2 19.2 18.9 18 18.8
Search
User-page
22.1 21.5 21.1 20.3 21.2
matrix
Improvement
Accuracy 15.1 12 11.6 12.8 12.8
%
User-concept
25.2 25.1 24.9 24.5 25
matrix
Improvement
14 16.7 18 20.7 33
%
 When to Use Tables
• To compare and contrast data values
or characteristics among related items.
Criteria Collaborative Usage Mining
Filtering
Scalability Store large amounts of Only store frequent
data patterns
New data Incorporated easily Models need to be
incremental
Individuality Recommendations Generalized
tailored to individual predictions
users. / anonymous users
Prediction Time High Low
 When to Use Tables
• To show the presence or absence of
specific characteristics.
 When to Use Figures
• To show trends and relationships when
general patterns are more important
than specific data.
• To summarize results.
• To present a visual explanation of a
sequence of events.
 When to Use Text
• When you don’t have extensive data to
present.
• When putting data in a table
means creating a table with 2 or less
columns.
 Fonts

48 point posters

36 point
presentation slides

24 point
18 point titles
14 point

12 point
text
10 point
8 point
footnotes
 Technical
Report

Front Matter Report Body Back Matter

Title Page Introduction References

Abstract Background Appendices

Table of Results
Contents Conclusion

List of Figures
/ Tables